GLIDING

                                               
What are Gliders?
         Gliders are aircraft with fixed wings but with no power source of their own.  Also known as sailplanes, gliders have been at the forefront of aeronautical innovation since the earliest days of aviation history.  It was no mean achievement when Otto Lilienthal’s monoplane glider flew distances of up to 300 meters (about 1000ft.) between the years 1893 and 1896.  Today, sailplanes have evolved into sleek aircraft using the latest technologies available to designers and incorporate lightweight but extremely strong materials such as carbon, bonded glassfibre and plastics and fitted with onboard computers, avionics and GPS navigation systems.  Soaring techniques have also developed with better knowledge of meteorology, and pilots have now flown distances exceeding          2000 km on one flight and the world altitude record now stands at an astonishing 49,009 ft. which is much higher than the service ceilings of most passenger jets.

Did you know-
         All aircraft are able to glide. So if all the engines on a Boeing 747 for instance are turned off the aircraft will begin to descend in a glide.  One of the most spectacular aircraft, which glides to a landing, is the space shuttle as it flies without power upon re-entry into the atmosphere of the earth.  Gliders have all the basic controls of an aircraft, except power.  Hence, glider pilots are trained to be exceptionally good airmen as they are able to fly an aircraft over long distances and cruise at high altitude without the aid of an engine.  In order to do so, glider pilots have to fly very precisely ensuring that the aircraft moves through the air as efficiently as possible generating the least amount of drag.  While landing the Glider, there is no second chance, no option to abort a landing and use the power of an engine to go around for another attempt.

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